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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27002875">Frostbite</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dead2theliving/pseuds/dead2theliving'>dead2theliving</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ed stays with the military, Ed still has his Automail, Edward Elric Swears, Frostbite, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Post-Promised Day, Post-Series, he doesn't have alchemy though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:55:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,819</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27002875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dead2theliving/pseuds/dead2theliving</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He whips his head around, raising his hand to snap just in case, but all he sees is Ed staring at him with wide eyes. </p><p>   Roy pauses, frowning. "What? Did you see him?"</p><p>   Another crack, and Ed jolts forward a bit, throwing his arms out to keep his balance but his feet don't move. Ed's eyes meet his and they're wide and terrified. </p><p>   "Shit."</p><p>   The second the word leaves Ed's lips, another final crack sounds and Ed is falling straight down, disappearing beneath the snow into the hidden pond beneath them. </p><p>   "FULLMETAL!"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Edward Elric/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>207</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Frostbite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Now listen, he was perfectly aware that no one except the Amestrian Military was to blame for this shit storm they had fallen into, but he couldn't help but point fingers.</p><p>"If you had just listened to me-!"</p><p>"Oh shove it, bastard. I'm way too fuckin cold to deal with your complaining."</p><p>He rolls his eyes, forcing himself to pretend he's not just as freezing. Ed walks a good few feet in front of him, desperately trudging through the heavy snow with his arms firmly hugging his body to keep as much warmth as he could.</p><p>He was in much the same position, but was moving at a much slower pace than the angry former alchemist. Instead he was focusing on keeping his breathing steady and his steps quiet in order to hear any potential threat trying to sneak up on them.</p><p>They'd already taken care of most of the targets; Hawkeye and Havoc were back at their base keeping on eye on the tied up criminals until Fuery could transport them to North Command. They were just outside of a small town about an hour drive from north city. The military had been keeping an eye on this group for months now, collecting any information they could and biding their time. His team however, was only just assigned this mission a week ago. Fuhrer Grumman handed him the files personally and insisted his team was the only one he could trust to get this wrapped up as quickly and efficiently as he needed.</p><p>Since the promised day had come and gone, Fuhrer Grumman had spent the last five years rebuilding the military and removing anyone who had been in league with King Bradley. Unfortunately, this meant that almost every single military personnel ranked Major General and higher were either behind bars or dishonourably discharged. Many members of said personnel's offices were also discharged or simply left to their own accord.</p><p>Which technically means, Grumman didn't <em>actually</em> have any other team he could ask to get this done even if he wanted to.</p><p>Just thinking about Grumman's infuriating smile made him grimace. He liked the man well enough as a Fuhrer, but as a person he kind of wanted to punch him in the face most days. Which he knows is dramatic, but with Fullmetal back in the office- after his two year leave- he'd spent almost three years working too close to the angry man. He supposed it must have rubbed off on him.</p><p>Especially since fullmetal had, on more than one occasion, told Grumman to his face that he's a "two faced, smug bastard who's laugh makes him homicidal". Grumman, because he knew it pissed him off, would laugh at him and he'd end up having to remove fullmetal from the room to prevent yet another assassination of a Fuhrer.</p><p>He rolls his eyes a bit at the thought, because of course fullmetal would never <em>actually</em> kill anyone, didn't mean he wouldn't severely injure someone to within an inch of death.</p><p>While yes fullmetal has lost most of his temper, he still held onto some major anger issues. Exhibit A would be from today.</p><p>Team Mustang had made their way up north a few days ago, and they spent that time surveying the area and preparing for their raid. They'd decided that himself, Captain Havoc, and Fullmetal would enter the building while Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye watched through her scope from her position in a treehouse he'd quickly built. Second Lieutenant Fuery was of course in charge of communications, listening to everyone over walkie while Fuery's own small team surrounded the area, ready to storm the place and help capture everyone. Captain Breda was in North City Command, keeping informed on any sudden developments either for this mission or something down in central.</p><p>Of course, things had gone sideways immediately.</p><p>The group had their headquarters in a rundown old warehouse in the middle of the woods, about a fifteen minute drive from the nearby town. Before they even got fully into position the weather changed and a blizzard rolled in. They all collectively decided it was still best to go in and finish this; communications were still holding strong and they didn't need visibility outside anyway since they'd been moving in.</p><p>So, with everything adjusted and ready, they changed tactics and instead of just the three of them going in, they decided to bring in Fuery's team as well to cut off all exits, rather than taking them down as they ran out.</p><p>It worked, for the most part. They'd stormed in, weapons raised and ordered everyone to stay where they were. They didn't, of course. A few men pulled guns on them which he quickly took out with a quick snap aimed at their hands, while fullmetal charged at them with his knives and kicked the guns away and knocked out the assailants. The others followed suit, but it became quickly apparent that it wasn't necessary to use the extra force.</p><p>Most of the men surrendered once they realized it was useless. A few, probably the ones with higher rankings, put up a fight and were quickly subdued and tied up. The only one who proved an issue was the leader, Damascus Fremont.</p><p>Fremont had pretended to surrender, then when an exit opened up he head butted Havoc and slipped from his grip. He fled out the back and disappeared into the blizzard. Edward hadn't hesitated in following after the quickly fading footsteps, leaving Roy no choice but to shout a quick "stay put!" order at Hawkeye as she entered the building before running after the crazy blonde.</p><p>Now here they are, god knows how long later, lost in the middle of nowhere. Their walkies weren't working, obviously too far from the group to reach them. Thankfully, the blizzard had died down a bit, only now a steady and heavy snowfall remained. It was still annoying, but at least now they could actually see more than just a foot in front of them. It also gave them more time before the leaders footsteps were covered from the heavy snowfall.</p><p>"He picked up the pace, these footprints are messier and closer together." Ed notes from in front of him, turning his head to yell back at Roy. "But they're still covered as much as the others, which means he's definitely got some good distance on us now."</p><p>Roy hums. "He must've started running when visibility cleared up. Didn't wanna risk being spotted since he couldn't tell how close we were behind him."</p><p>He sees Ed nod as he shivers, obviously hating being in the north. "If he was smart he's headed for the trees. But it's so god damn cold out that he might be leading us to another building or town, somewhere he can get warmth."</p><p>"He would definitely go for the ladder. He'd never survive in the woods in this weather, even with that jacket he was wearing." He muses, more to himself than anything.</p><p>Ed tsks. "Yeah, plus with his Automail arm? He'd freeze to death in one night without a fire or shelter. And even then chances are slim."</p><p>That makes him stop dead in his tracks. He'd somehow forgotten that, in the midst of all this, Ed was in serious danger. He had two Automail limbs. Hell, he was pretty certain he hadn't changed to northern automail either since this was supposed to be a quick mission spent mostly indoors. Even if it was northern, that is still about 25% of his body and therefore 25% less mass to keep him warm. Having two giant metal limbs were bound to zap the heat straight out of him.</p><p>Ed notices he's stopped and turns around. "What're you doing? We gotta find him or find shelter. That blizzard could hit again any minute." He yells, now a good twenty feet away from him.</p><p>"Are you alright?" He yells back. "You're not too cold are you?"</p><p>Ed rolls his eyes, shifting on his feet. "I'm fine. Trust me this isn't the first time I've been up north without proper Automail I'll be fine." Shit, he'd been right. He had on regular automail, and now probably was on the verge of frostbite. "Now come on, tracks are fading fast."</p><p>He goes to turn back around when a loud crack sounds through the air. Roy ducks instinctively, head whipping around to scan the area for the threat. Out in the open like this it's impossible to tell where the noise came from. He hears another one, this time sounding like it's coming from Ed's direction.</p><p>He whips his head around, raising his hand to snap just in case, but all he sees is Ed staring at him with wide eyes.</p><p>Roy pauses, frowning. "What? Did you see him?"</p><p>Another crack, and Ed jolts forward a bit, throwing his arms out to keep his balance but his feet don't move. Ed's eyes meet his and they're wide and terrified.</p><p>"Shit."</p><p>The second the word leaves Ed's lips, another final crack sounds and Ed is falling straight down, disappearing beneath the snow into the hidden pond beneath them.</p><p>"<em>FULLMETAL</em>!"</p><p>Every possible thought is racing through his mind. He desperately tries to remember what he was taught in his survival training years and years ago as he stumbles towards the hole. His mind is blank as he drops to his knees a few feet from the hole, desperately clearing away snow to see if he can see through the ice.</p><p>He can't get any closer to the hole and risk falling in himself. He needs to see if he can see fullmetal and find a way to get him out without killing them both.</p><p>He finally can see the ice and although it's thick, it's fairly clear and he can vaguely make out the waves from where fullmetal must be struggling to return to the surface.</p><p>His mind grinds to a halt with one terrifying thought.</p><p>Fullmetal can't swim.</p><p>His two metal limbs always drag him down. The only way he can go in water is if he switches to lighter material or if he can push himself off the ground to the surface.</p><p>He doesn't know how deep this pond is, he just knows it's ice fucking cold and that would cripple a normal person with human limbs and proper swimming knowledge.</p><p>He's trying to think of a plan but all he can think about is how all odds are completely against Ed. He can't swim, his limbs will stop working in the freezing cold and he doesn't have alchemy to get him out.</p><p><em>Alchemy</em>!</p><p>He briefly notices the waves are stopping, which means Ed is either losing consciousness or his limbs gave out on him. He flips through his mental notebook, desperate for a transmutation he can use to get the man out of the water.</p><p>The water stops moving all together now. Something takes over his mind and without any thought he's clapping, slamming his hands onto the ice and feeling the electric charge of the alchemic reaction coursing through him and around him. He smells the burn of power around him and hears the wind pick up and water start to move.</p><p>He doesn't know what he's doing until he hears a roar of water next to him and then total silence as the power dies down.</p><p>He opens his eyes, panting and unbelievably lightheaded and drained. His breath is laboured and uneven as he frantically scans the area.</p><p>The hole Ed fell through is bigger and all the snow has been washed away, water sitting in puddles on top of the pond now. A few feet away to his left, is fullmetal.</p><p>He gasps, forcing his body to carefully make his way towards where Ed is laying on the shore, away from the ice and water.</p><p>When he reaches the man he drops down next to him. Ed is unconscious, sopping wet and completely blue. He can't tell if he's breathing and quickly rips off his gloves so he can feel for a pulse. After a moment of panic where he can't tell if the pulse is Ed's or his own, he realizes it's gotta be Ed's because it's so weak and slow while his own is beating at a dangerous pace.</p><p>He's still not breathing though and something in his mind yells at him that Ed must've swallowed water.</p><p>He's not even thinking, his body working way ahead of his mind as he bends forward and rips Ed's jacket open before beginning compressions. His mind is reeling and he has no idea how his body is keeping count of the compressions, but he's in survival mode so he shuts his mind off and lets his body do what needs to be done.</p><p>It takes almost a full minute of compressions before Ed wakes up.</p><p>He's in the middle of blowing air into Ed's lungs when Ed coughs, body convulsing as water spits out of his mouth. He quickly turns Ed on his side and he throws up a concerning amount of water, body jerking and shivering.</p><p>He finally runs out of things to throw up and flops back down, still unconscious, but now his chest rises and falls steadily.</p><p>Roy breathes a sigh of relief, and then realizes that Ed is far from out of danger.</p><p>He's still blue and ice cold, shivering uncontrollably. Roy looks around, praying to a god he doesn't believe in that there's some form of shelter nearby. And, against all odds, he can vaguely make out the shadow of what looks like a shack deep in the woods.</p><p>He slides his gloves back on, still keenly aware that there's a terrorist on the loose nearby, and squats down. He shoves his arms under Ed's knees and head, lifting him up with a grunt. Ed may be a small man (he can almost hear Ed scream at him for that thought) but the Automail limbs, soaked clothing, and dead weight is adding a good hundred pounds onto the man.</p><p>Struggling to stand with Ed in his arms bridal style, he takes off as fast as he can towards the building. He feels the wind starting to pick up and grunts, shifting Ed tighter against him in hopes of keeping him warm.</p><p>He reaches the cabin just as the snow picks up its pace. He shifts Ed in his arms so he can have one hand poised ready to snap and kicks open the door, scanning the tiny, one room empty shack for a sign of the leader they'd been chasing.</p><p>There's no sign the leader had been anywhere near here, so he sighs in relief, kicking the door shut and carefully dropping Ed to the ground. There's no fireplace so he claps, forcing the left wall to form into a fireplace.</p><p>Once he's done he notices the only thing in the room is a broken rocking chair. He wastes no time ripping it apart and tossing the wood in the fireplace, snapping to light it. The room lights up, glowing a warm yellow.</p><p>Just as he's gotten the fire stable he hears Ed gasp and watches as he jolts awake, shaking and looking desperately towards he fire.</p><p>Roy drops the pieces of the chair and rushes over. "Fullmetal listen, calm down. We need to get you out of these clothes alright come on."</p><p>Ed doesn't seem to be able to concentrate too well, but manages a nod and doesn't fight as Roy rips his jacket off him. Ed is wearing another jacket and a long sleeved shirt under the thick coat, which he has a very hard time getting off him as he shakes uncontrollably. He gets his shirt off and sucks in a sharp breath at the view of Ed's shoulder.</p><p>The entire area where metal meets flesh is a deep purple and sharp red. Frostbite for sure. He decides not to focus on that right now. He needs to keep Ed alive before he can worry about the severity of his already missing limbs.</p><p>Ripping Ed's stupid leather boots off, he starts yanking off his wool military pants and boxers together, terrified to see how bad his leg is. His leg had been trudging in deep snow all day on top of the water incident, he can't imagine it's much better than the arm.</p><p>His suspicions are correct. Ed's whole thigh is purple and black which is incredibly concerning. With Ed's luck, he'll need the little that's left of his leg amputated.</p><p>Deciding to ignore it, he tosses the pants away and grabs Ed from under his armpits and lifts him over to the fire.</p><p>He forces himself to ignore the way Ed yells in pain at the jostling to his frost bitten shoulder.</p><p>Ed practically melts into the fire, and he has to actually hold him up so he doesn't fall in. Ed's breathing is slowing down and his shivering is slowing down but not anywhere close to disappearing.</p><p>He sits there, hand gripping Ed's left shoulder to keep him upright, for a good few minutes. Ed's head is resting against his hand, eyes opening and closing as he struggles to stay conscious. His shivering isn't lessening though, and he's still pretty blue.</p><p>Something clicks in his mind and he jolts, realizing how stupid he is. He stands, ripping off his jacket and shirt. He pulls Ed's freezing Automail limb through one of his jacket sleeves before he sits down behind Ed, legs on either side of him and pressing his bare chest against Ed's bare back, wrapping his arms around Ed's middle.</p><p>Ed practically melts back into the warmth, a content sigh falling from his blue lips. Ed's head lulls back, resting on Roy's shoulder as he falls back into unconsciousness. He sighs, dropping his chin onto Ed's head and tightening his grip on the man, forcing his body not to jolt away from the bite of Ed's freezing skin and metal port.</p><p>He wants to close his eyes and fall asleep. He's exhausted. He's never used that much alchemy before. N'or has he ever used that level or type of alchemy. Hell, he can't think of a single person in recorded history that has ever used water alchemy to the degree in which he did today. Other than Ed of course.</p><p>Ed had once used water alchemy on a team mission way back when he was still a kid. It was the first time he'd seen anyone attempt it, let alone master it. But of course he shouldn't be surprised that the fullmetal alchemist was able to master a type of alchemy no one else has dared to try.</p><p>He didn't know he even possessed the knowledge to perform such alchemy and he finds himself wondering if truth had somehow given it to him on the promised day.</p><p>It wouldn't surprise him. Ed had once mentioned that truth had given him lots of new symbols and circles, even though they'd been fragmented and not exactly straight forward. Ed had to figure them out on his own overtime.</p><p>His body was dead. He could feel the weight of the day settling in his bones and making his limbs heavy, but he refused to lesson his grip around Ed, desperate to keep him warm until his body returned to normal temperature.</p><p>Also, it felt really nice to hold Ed like this.</p><p>He's not blind (anymore, anyway). He noticed the changes in the man when he'd returned from leave. It'd been two years then since he'd seen fullmetal (almost three if you count the six months Ed was missing. And yeah, he saw him briefly before losing his sight but he'd been so blinded by rage he didn't really look at him). Then, newly 19 years old and no longer plagued with the horror of his mission, Ed had been radiant.</p><p>Just back from his trip to Creta, the sun and heat of the country had agreed with Ed. His skin had always been a bit tanner than a normal Amestrisans, but it had been golden upon his return. Speaking of gold, Ed's hair had grown so long that even in a high ponytail (no longer in a braid) the hair fell to the small of his back. His eyes were brighter, no longer shadowed with the weight and fear from his youth, the man had looked so casual.</p><p>The Ed he remembered had been an angry teen who ran around in a bright red coat and platform boots, screaming at anyone and making himself seen. That Ed had filled a room with his anger and his passion. This Ed though, had none of that insecurity. This Ed had filled a room with his wide smile and intriguing stories. He no longer wore clothes that made him a target, instead he wore muted browns and white. He no longer needed the platform boots either, switching them out for casual dress shoes.</p><p>Yes, that Ed had been stunning. But as time past, three years with Ed working closely in his office with his team, he'd seen him change more and more until he'd become a sort of siren.</p><p>Because of all that, it's been hard to ignore the thoughts he often had about fullmetal, and right now, while it may be for survival, holding him so intimately was seriously fucking with his mind.</p><p>Ed was grown up now. He was a calm and mature 23 year old man- though he was aged way beyond his actual years with his experience and intellect. And Roy... well Roy could really only hope he'd been better at hiding his thoughts than he felt.</p><p>Right now though, he didn't have to hide. Ed was passed out, and he felt right in his arms like this. And although he wished this wasn't a life or death situation, he couldn't bring himself to not enjoy the comfort and joy this was bringing him.</p><p>He wanted to sleep. He wanted so desperately to lay them down in front of the fire and hold Ed in his arms as he fell asleep. But that leader was still out there, and with Ed completely out of commission for god knows how long, he knew he had to force himself to stay alert.</p><p>He wondered if Fuery had had his team transport the prisoners to the city yet or if they were keeping them there while they waited for him and Ed to return.</p><p>He could probably attempt to call them on his walkie, but he knew they were too far. Plus his walkie was somewhere on the ground near Ed's clothes, and he couldn't bring himself to leave his current position.</p><p>He doesn't know how long he sat there for, basking in the warmth of the slowly dying fire and Ed's slowly warming body, but it must've been awhile because soon it was getting dark. He could tell from the small hole at the top of the wall. He was just beginning to worry that Ed had been asleep too long when the man shifted a bit and groaned.</p><p>His shivering has severely lessened and slowly colour was returning to Ed's skin. However, his ports were still severely frostbitten and his lips and fingertips were still blue.</p><p>Ed shifts again, this time pulling away a bit from his embrace so he could turn and look up at him. Ed looks thoroughly confused and still like he's half asleep.</p><p>Still, Roy breathes a sigh of relief and smiles. "Thank god."</p><p>Ed's eyes lull a bit and he jolts with a harsh cough. Roy holds him upright as the blonde struggles to breathe through his hacking, sounding like he's tearing his throat from the force. When he's done, he's panting and falling back against Roy, too exhausted to even hold himself up.</p><p>They sit in silence for a bit, Ed breathing heavily and the sound of the dying fire crackling beside them. He should probably throw the last of the chair into the pit, but he can't bring himself to move.</p><p>After what feels like forever, but is probably only a few minutes, Ed speaks, voice weak and rough. "What happened?"</p><p>He glances down, meeting Ed's half closed eyes. "There was a pond hidden underneath the snow. You fell through."</p><p>Ed just blinks, expression unchanging before he shrugs. "Yeah, seems about right. How'd you get me out?"</p><p>"I uh, I'm not certain." He says, continuing when Ed furrows his brows. "I was panicking and something in my mind just, took over. I was suddenly performing a transmutation I'd never seen before. It controlled the water and carried you up to the surface."</p><p>Ed breathes a laugh through his nose, eyes sliding all the way shut as he smiles softly. "See, I knew you weren't useless. Not just any alchemist can perform water alchemy."</p><p>Roy shrugs. "You can."</p><p>Ed laughs again, eyes still shut. "Yeah but you can also perform fire alchemy. There's literally no one else that can do that."</p><p>He can't help but snort and roll his eyes. "You're telling me you've never attempted my alchemy? I find it very hard to believe you haven't mastered flame alchemy just from watching me perform it."</p><p>Ed opens his eyes, looking only a little guilty. "Alright fine, <em>yes</em>. It's not like it's hard! I picked it up after like five seconds of knowing you, bastard."</p><p>He hums. "My point proven."</p><p>"<em>My</em> point proven, jerk. I'm not an alchemist anymore, therefore only you can perform flame alchemy, and very very few can successfully do water alchemy, especially at the level of success you just did." He frowns, suddenly looking concerned. "How's your head? Energy isn't too low is it? I know water alchemy drains more power than normal. Even more than your pinpoint flame."</p><p>He can't help but roll his eyes. "I'm completely fine, fullmetal. But of course you'd be concerned about my well being rather than your own."</p><p>Ed shrugs. "I'm awake aren't I? How bad can it be?"</p><p>Roy can't help but grimace, eyes glancing quickly to Ed's black thigh. Ed catches the glance and frowns, struggling to sit up a bit to get a look at his leg. He freezes when he sees it, but his face portrays no trace of what he could possibly be feeling.</p><p>And then, Ed laughs. He laughs so hard he falls back against Roy and starts coughing again. He holds him tight until he stops, Ed's head falling into his chest with a soft, pathetic smile.</p><p>"Ah yeah, that makes perfect sense." He chuckles again, eyes meeting Roy's with an unreadable emotion swirling in them. "Winry is gonna have a field day. She not only gets to replace my leg, she gets to make a whole new port to attach once they amputate the rest of my leg." He sighs. "Do I even ask how my shoulder looks?"</p><p>Roy sighs. "Better than the leg. But not by much."</p><p>Ed nods against him, eyes closing again. "Alright, I'm gonna pass out again." He snuggles a bit more, trying to press as much of himself against Roy as he can before he lets out a content sigh. "And thanks for this. Warm." He mumbles, falling back asleep instantly.</p><p>Well, Roy thinks, if he wasn't warm before than he definitely is now from the stupid blush spreading across his cheeks and chest.</p><p>He always hated being this pale, really made it impossible not to blush.</p><p>Still, if it helps Ed then he can accept it just this once.</p><p>- x - x - x -</p><p>It's been hours now.</p><p>If it weren't for his years of training, there's no way he'd still be awake right now. His eyes are so heavy it actually requires thinking to keep them open. He ended up shifting their positions awhile ago. He'd had to sneak out into the pitch black just to grab a handful of nearby branches to keep the fire going. The entire time he was keeping one eye on the tiny shack, paranoid that Fremont would somehow find them the one moment he's preoccupied.</p><p>He'd managed to get a decent amount of branches to keep the fire going all night if necessary. After he'd gotten the fire stable again he grabbed Ed's clothes, now either still soaking wet or completely frozen stiff, and transmutated them dry. Well, mostly dry. He honestly doesn't know how to do it properly, he'd never bothered to learn.</p><p>He did however take all of Ed's clothes and his jacket and shirt and mutated them into a makeshift blanket. It wouldn't do much, but it would hopefully help. And then in the morning he'd form them back to their original state and they could start making they're way back.</p><p>He sealed the door with alchemy once he was done, paranoid since he was basically on his own. He moved Ed closer to the fire and laid him down, flopping his own weight down behind him and making himself the big spoon, pulling the blanket over both of them as he attempted to keep Ed warm. Still after all these hours, Ed was only just becoming a mostly normal colour. Now all the blue was gone and instead he was just pale. Except of course his shoulder and thigh which had not improved.</p><p>Come morning, he'd have to find a way to carry Ed all the way back to where he'd left Hawkeye. They'd have to hunt down Fremont at another time, for now Ed was the top priority.</p><p>Speak of the devil, Ed groans, shifting against Roy and making him a little crazy. He'd have to make Hawkeye punch him later for the way he was thinking right now.</p><p>"Mm. What time is it?" Ed mumbles, words slurring together as he shifts onto his back.</p><p>He props himself up on his elbow, staring down at Ed. "No idea. My guess is sometime around five in the morning." It was his best guess based on where the moon had been and how long they'd been here.</p><p>Ed nods, eyes still locked on his before flicking down to where his arm was draped over Ed's stomach. He clears his throat, suddenly realizing the position they were in must seem unbelievably inappropriate to Ed.</p><p>He removes his arm, shifting away a bit. "Sorry. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, I'm just trying to keep you warm."</p><p>Ed laughs, shaking his head. "It's fine." And then he reaches out and grabs his wrist, pulling his arm back around his torso, never breaking eye contact. "It's really nice, actually. Warm, and actually surprisingly comfortable."</p><p>Roy cocks an eyebrow and smirks (definitely not flirty, no way). "Surprising? You're telling me no one has ever held you like this before?"</p><p>He's sure Ed would blush if he could. "Nope. Not exactly a lot of time in my crazy life for stuff like that."</p><p>"Stuff like that? You mean romance?" He asks, and then realizes he just implied this was in any way romantically driven.</p><p>Ed doesn't seem to make the connection though and shrugs with one shoulder. "Romance, sex, friendship. The closest I got to anything was when Ling was Greed and we were all on the run for six months before the promised day."</p><p>That's extremely vague. "Yeah, you never did tell me what you'd gotten up to out there. You were shockingly difficult to find."</p><p>Ed rolls his eyes. "That was kind of the whole point. Last anyone had heard I was attempting to kill Kimble and his men and went missing."</p><p>He says it so lightly, yet Roy can clearly remember when he'd found out that Ed had vanished into an exploded mineshaft, presumed dead. And while realistically he'd known Ed couldn't of been dead, he didn't know for sure. "I thought you were dead." He murmurs, before quickly clearing his throat. "I mean we all did. The team was scattered but when Major Miles gave me the news I passed it on. I would've told your brother, but I couldn't find him."</p><p>Ed shrugs again. "Probably best he didn't know." He's not looking at Roy anymore, hand picking at the blanket threads. "You know I wouldn't of let myself die right? I <em>didn't</em> let myself die. I had to get Al back to normal and I had to save the whole country. Me dying is something no one could afford at the time."</p><p>"What do you mean you 'didn't let yourself die'?"</p><p>Ed sighs, dropping his head back to stare firmly up at him. "It was stupid. I didn't want Kimble to die, so I tried to stop Miles and stand in the line of fire. Kimble mistook it for stalling while the snipers got in position. They already were, I was trying to save him." He shakes his head, scoffing at himself. "I was so stupid. But anyway, It ended with a show down between me and Kimblee's men, and then finally Kimble. I thought I'd won but he had another stone and he blew up the whole shaft."</p><p>He pauses and it take every fibre of Roy's being not to push him to speak more. He didn't like the way this story was going but he needed to know the ending.</p><p>Ed takes a deep breath and smiles up at him. "Anyway, I landed at the bottom with one of the support beams clean through my gut. I would've died, but I used my own life force to heal it best I could. Kimblee's men were down there with me. They helped me, got me to a doctor where I spent awhile recovering and then we were on the run again when the stupid MP's found me."</p><p>Roy is shocked to say the least. He's definitely staring wide eyed down at Ed but the blonde is just rolling his eyes at him. "Don't freak out, Mustang. I'm still here aren't I?"</p><p>He goes to stutter a response, but instead he finds himself looking down Ed's chest until he lands on a wickedly huge scar on Ed's side. He'd noticed it before, knows it matches on the back, but he'd forced himself to ignore it and not think about what could've possibly done that.</p><p>This was worse than anything he could've imagine.</p><p>He didn't begin to pretend to know what Ed meant by his own life force. He imagines it has something to do with the stone, but is afraid to ask. He knows it wasn't human transmutation though, because Ed didn't go through the gate.</p><p>Subconsciously he trails his finger over the scar and Ed shivers beneath him, for once not from the cold. His eyes jump to Ed's, locking eyes in a.... weird way. Ed blinks up at him, face unreadable. Not breaking eye contact, he decides to be a bit bold, and places his hand flat against the entire scar, circling his thumb to feel the rough textures.</p><p>Ed visibly swallows, chest rising and falling with a shaky breath. He knows he's entered dangerous territory. There's absolutely no way to know what Ed was thinking. However, Ed was a very open man with his emotions. If he didn't like what Roy was doing, Roy would be knocked on his ass right now.</p><p>Which is, stupidly, all the permission he really needs.</p><p>He briefly wonders if Ed is lucid enough to understand what's going on, but he's stopped shivering, colour has returned to his skin, and his eyes were focused for the first time since yesterday.</p><p>Not only were they open, but they were softly staring at his own. He licks his lips, mind racing when Ed's eyes flick to his lips with a sharp intake of breath and back up.</p><p>He decides that body language doesn't lie, and leans down just the smallest bit, quirking a brow to see if Ed objects. The blonde nods just the smallest bit as he takes a deep breath. Roy leans down, unbearably slowly until he's centimetres from Ed's lips.</p><p>He breathes out slowly, licking his lips for the hundredth time. "Tell me to stop." He whispers, hoping that one of them will think rationally.</p><p>Ed gulps, voice breathless. "No."</p><p>And then his eyes are sliding shut and he leans the rest of the way, lips just brushing with Ed's when a loud screech followed by static rings from his walkie.</p><p>"<em>Mustang! Do you copy</em>?"</p><p>His eyes shoot open, meeting Ed's and seeing the disappointment in them.</p><p>"<em>General Mustang, sir!</em>" The static through the feed is unbearable, which means they're only just in range. "<em>Do you copy? I repeat, do you copy</em>?"</p><p>And then he's laughing, pulling back and putting his hand over his eyes as he laughs harder.</p><p>"Oh my god, of course!" He says, hysterical from the totally predictable timing.</p><p>Below him, Ed is laughing too. "I know right?! We should've seen that coming."</p><p>His laugh dies down as Hawkeye keeps yelling through the feed. He lets out a heavy sigh, dragging his hand down his face and resting it back on Ed's side.</p><p>Ed is smiling up at him, shaking is head in disbelief. "You should probably answer that."</p><p>He breathes through his nose, disappointed at the mood change. "Yeah, we need to get you help."</p><p>He takes only one more second to stare at Ed before pushing himself to his feet, covering Ed with the blanket as he walks towards the walkie.</p><p>"<em>Yo Chief, seriously, answer us so we know you and boss ain't dead</em>." Havoc's voice comes through this time, significantly less staticy than before.</p><p>He can almost hear Hawkeye berating Havoc for being so unprofessional, but he just laughs and brings it to his mouth. "Mustang here. Me and fullmetal are alive."</p><p>He can practically see the two deflate with relief. "<em>It's good to hear that sir. Do you know where you are</em>?"</p><p>He sighs. "We're in a tiny shack somewhere. Coordinates unknown but we chased the leader for about an hour on foot before taking cover."</p><p>"<em>Did you keep to one direction</em>?"</p><p>"Yes, relatively headed north the whole way. If you head in that direction you'll come up on a concealed pond. We're just east of that in the woods, you'll be able to see the shack."</p><p>"<em>I'll let you know when we're close, sir. Stay safe</em>."</p><p>"You too Hawkeye."</p><p>He clips the walkie to his belt, sighing and deciding to unseal the door with a quick clap. He turns and peeks through the small hole in the wall; he can see the sun rising, casting a much needed light through the woods. In the distance he can see the pond, probably already frozen back over where Ed fell in.</p><p>Speaking of Ed, the man has decided to try and stand up.</p><p>"Sit back down before you hurt yourself." He yells, walking back over to him.</p><p>"Shove it bastard, they can't be far away if they got through on the walkie. I need to put clothes on. It was weird enough having you see me naked." He says, rolling his eyes.</p><p>Roy smiles. "I don't know, I kinda enjoyed it."</p><p>Ed scoffs, a smile on his face but he can't help but notice something dark in his eyes. "Whatever perv, help me out. I can't move half my limbs."</p><p>He grimaces, deciding to ignore whatever he just saw, and drops down to his knees. He grabs the blanket and claps, making the material return back to separate pieces of clothing. It takes basically the last bit of his energy and he feels himself fall forward a bit when the transmutation dies out.</p><p>"Woah, easy Mustang. Don't push yourself too much."</p><p>He chuckles. "No need to worry, I'm simply a bit tired. Soon we'll be safe and I can rest." He smiles reassuringly, but he can tell Ed doesn't believe him. "Come on, lets get these on you." He says, holding up Ed's boxers.</p><p>Ed grimaces again but moves his hands away from his groin and helps lift his leg up to give him a better angle to pull the material up. It takes a bit of struggling and pained groans from Ed before the boxers are finally all the way up. Ed is panting at the end, teeth gritted as he holds onto his thigh, and Roy is apologizing profusely.</p><p>Of course, when Ed is groaning and Roy's hands are still on the waistband of his boxers is when the front door gets yanked open and Hawkeye and Havoc stroll in.</p><p>They both freeze and Havoc whistles. "Damn Chief, you and Boss sure kept each other entertained."</p><p>Roy rolls his eyes, forcing himself to look indifferent as he shifts his weight to block Ed from their view. He knew the team had seen Ed basically nude many times, but Ed had made it clear he didn't wish to be seen by them right now.</p><p>"Havoc that is incredibly inappropriate."</p><p>Havoc smirks. "Then what's all this?"</p><p>"Fullmetal fell through the ice last night. He needed body heat and he only recently became conscious and stable again."</p><p>Havoc at least has the decency to look abashed.</p><p>Hawkeye is instantly on alert. "Is he alright?"</p><p>He grimaces. "I'm afraid not. The skin where his port meets flesh is severely frostbitten. He's still exhausted and has only <em>just</em> returned to a healthy temperature. He needs medical attention immediately."</p><p>"Anything you need from us, Sir?" Hawkeye asks.</p><p>"Yes. I need one of you to keep an eye out for the leader, we never did find him. And I need one of you to gather as many sticks as you can. I'm going to need to make a stretcher."</p><p>In sync they click their heals and salute. "Sir!" Then they both turn and go outside, closing the door behind them.</p><p>He sighs as they go, turning back around and rubbing his hands together.</p><p>"Alright, lets get you dressed. Don't want you starting to freeze again."</p><p>- x - x - x -</p><p>"Sir, you are in no position to be doing this, stand back."</p><p>"Hawkeye, please, I am perfectly capable of-"</p><p>"Oi! Bastard! Let the fuck go of the stretcher before I stand up and smack you in the face."</p><p>He rolls his eyes but does as he's told, raising his hands in mock surrender just to be dramatic. Ed sticks his tongue out in response.</p><p>"Damn Chief, maybe I should seduce you too, then you'll listen to me." Havoc says, moving to take his place at the end of the stretcher.</p><p>"You can't seduce a regular girl, let alone me." He quips at the same time Ed says "Shut the fuck up Havoc!"</p><p>"Children please, we need to get Ed to a hospital so let's go." Hawkeye snaps, though Roy knows her well enough to know she's joking.</p><p>Roy stands back as they lift up the stretcher, Havoc at Ed's feet and Hawkeye at his head. He trails uselessly beside them, feeling helpless and exhausted.</p><p>"Oi, Mustang." He turns to Ed, frowning in question. "Stop with that useless shit."</p><p>He frowns. "I wasn't-"</p><p>"Oh shut up, I know you were. So shove it, you've done enough already. Now keep an eye out for that fucking terrorist, we don't need him getting the jump on us while we're this vulnerable."</p><p>He rolls his eyes but nods, understanding the underlying words that Ed didn't say.</p><p>Thankfully, his team chooses not to comment on that one, and instead they walk the rest of the way in silence.</p><p>Also thankfully, it's not snowing at all today and the wind has died down. Now it was just the struggle of trudging through the knee high snow, especially with the exhaustion settling in his bones, making them stiff and harder to move. He was trailing a bit behind his team, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of trouble.</p><p>Ed had fallen back asleep, still recovering from his body basically going into shock. He had to force himself not to think about what would happen to his leg. He knew it wasn't going to be good. The odds were that Ed was going to lose the rest of his leg and be out of commission for a long time.</p><p>And knowing Ed, he was going to lose his mind.</p><p>He'd have to call Al when they got back, let him know what has happened. Then he'd have to call Winry, or maybe Ed would rather tell her himself. He'd ask him once he woke back up.</p><p>Speaking of which, he could finally make out the warehouse in the near distance. He breathes a sigh of relief, literally forcing his body not to just collapse in exhaustion. By the time they're close enough to where he could just give up, he sees Fuery standing up from his spot by the door and waving at them. He shouts something back into the warehouse and starts running towards them with a few men trailing behind.</p><p>"Sirs! It's such a relief to see you!" Fuery says, overjoyed to see them. "What's happened? Is Ed alright?"</p><p>"He'll be alright, he's just resting. We need to get him to a hospital immediately." Hawkeye says, moving past Fuery and towards the military issued truck parked a few feet away.</p><p>"Fuery, please report what has happened while I was away." He says to the young man.</p><p>He salutes. "Sir! After you and Fullmetal ran off, Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye and Captain Havoc kept watch of the captured men. Me and my team loaded the men into the prisoner transport I brought with me. I instructed my best men to bring the prisoners back to Northern Command while I stayed put with three of my men and Hawkeye and Havoc."</p><p>"Did you receive confirmation the prisoners arrived?"</p><p>"Yes, sir. Major General Conway called me personally to report they were being kept in captivity until we could locate their leader and bring them in front of a judge."</p><p>"Excellent work, Fuery. Thank you for everything." He says, placing his hand on the mans shoulder and beginning to walk away.</p><p>"What happened to Fullmetal?" Fuery asks, walking in step with him.</p><p>"He has frostbite. He fell through the ice and has been hypothermic and unconscious most of the night."</p><p>"Oh no, that's terrible. Will he be alright?"</p><p>"I'm honestly not sure." He says, frowning a bit. "He was much better this morning, but I'm worried about his leg. I'm afraid it may need to be amputated fully."</p><p>Fuery, thankfully, doesn't comment. Instead he just nods and walks the rest of the way to the truck in silence.</p><p>When they reach the truck, Hawkeye and Havoc have just finished loading fullmetal into the back, still unconscious. Fuery's men are already in the front, ready to drive.</p><p>It must be the fact that his mind now knows they're going to be safe because just as he's about to pull himself up into the back of the truck, his vision swirls and he falls back, blacking out in the freezing snow.</p><p>- + - + - + -</p><p>When he finally wakes, it's to a bright light in his eyes.</p><p>He hisses out a breath, hand reaching to cover his eyes. "Ow! Fuck off with that!" He yells, annoyed that someone is making his pounding headache so much worse.</p><p>"Sorry, General, I didn't realize you were conscious."</p><p>Ah, so Havoc is the culprit then. He squints a bit, glaring daggers at the smoking blonde. "So you were shining a light in my eyes while I was sleeping?"</p><p>"You weren't sleeping, sir. You blacked out; hit your head on the truck on your way down." Hawkeye says, apparently sitting across from him. "We wanted to know if you were concussed."</p><p>He rolls his eyes and immediately regrets it when his head pulses. "Based on how I'm feeling, I'd say I'm concussed."</p><p>"And yet you still manage to talk like a pompous prick."</p><p>His eyes shoot open, sitting up slightly to meet Ed's eyes. He's still laying on the floor on his make-shift stretcher, head tilted back so he can look up at him.</p><p>He manages a relieved breath, smiling softly. "You're alright?"</p><p>Ed shrugs. "For now. We're almost at the hospital so I'll be better soon. Do you feel better? You used a fuckton of energy doing that much alchemy."</p><p>He shrugs. "I'll be alright, just need a good rest and some pain killers."</p><p>Hawkeye sighs, glancing at her watch. "We're just a few minutes away. Get some rest, both of you."</p><p>Ed nods. "Thanks, Hawkeye. You're the best."</p><p>"I know."</p><p>- + - + - + -</p><p>The hospital is boring.</p><p>Now listen, don't get him wrong, he's thankful he wasn't more hurt. But also, if he'd been more injured than he'd actually have a reason to be stuck here. He has a minor concussion, not brain trauma! He shouldn't be here, bedridden and perfectly healthy (minus the nausea and dizziness but that's just minor details). He'd rather be working. He has to find fullmetal, get an update on his injuries and then call Al.</p><p>Riza, however, isn't letting him.</p><p>"Sir, this is not a suggestion. You will stay in bed for the rest of the night."</p><p>"And as your commanding officer, I order that you either roll me around in a wheelchair or I'm simply going to start walking. Your choice, Hawkeye."</p><p>She glares at him, eyes locked to show she's not joking. He's not joking either. He's pretty sure he'll fall over the second he stands but he needs to do his work so that's besides the point.</p><p>She sighs, shoulders drooping as she stands. "Fine. I'll be right back."</p><p>He smirks in triumph, crossing his arms smugly. He knows he's acting a bit like a petulant child but seriously, he needed to know if Ed was alright.</p><p>It only takes her a minute to get the chair, but he spends that time desperately forcing himself not to assume the worst of fullmetal's condition. For all he knows everything is fine. His limbs will heal and not be amputated, his lungs aren't damaged in any way, and he probably definitely doesn't have any broken ribs from the CPR.</p><p>Yeah. Everything is totally fine.</p><p>He quickly realizes however that he had every right to be panicking once he gets wheeled into Ed's room.</p><p>Ed is passed out on the bed, looking smaller than ever without his metal limbs attached. They must have removed them to reduce the strain on his ports; he notices them laying on the window sill on the other end of the room.</p><p>"Hawkeye, could I have a moment please."</p><p>She must hear the ache in his voice because she obliges, pushing him further into the room before closing the door on her way out.</p><p>He sighs, rolling himself to the end of Ed's bed to read the clipboard. As he scans it, he realizes everything he tried to convince himself wasn't wrong, is wrong.</p><p>Ed has two fractured ribs, one broken, and three bruised. His breathing is being assisted because of how much water had been in his lungs, and he has severe frostbite. The sheet says they will be monitoring his shoulder, but his left leg will be amputated up to just below his hip bone later today.</p><p>He curses, dropping the clipboard back into the box and putting his hands to his head, cursing every god that could exist for putting fullmetal through this amount of bullshit.</p><p>He forces himself to ignore the voice in his head telling him its his fault Ed was even in the military at all. He'll deal with that another time, for now he has something else to do.</p><p>He needs to call Alphonse.</p><p>He rolls himself into the hallway- not bothering to look back at Ed and see him laying so still covered in IV's and a breathing tube- and to the phone booths, dialling the memorized number for Al's university lab, knowing that's where the boy would be at this hour. Or any hour really, the Elric's were never good at stopping their research.</p><p>"<em>Lab 132, Alphonse speaking!</em>"</p><p>Oh god, he's gonna ruin Al's cheerful demeanour and he hates himself.</p><p>"Alphonse, it's General Mustang." He tries not to sound as tired as he is, but the stress from the night is long settled in his bones and his concussion is slowly becoming more persistent.</p><p>"<em>What's wrong? Are you alright</em>?" A pause. "<em>Is Ed okay</em>?"</p><p>He sighs, for some reason feeling terribly close to crying, which is pathetic because everyone is fine. "We're both alive?" He answers hopelessly.</p><p>"<em>What happened?</em>" Al asks, and he's kind of shocked that he sounds more concerned than angry. Everyone thinks Ed is the scary brother and Al is the sweetheart, but that's just simply not true. Al is just polite and has manners, while Ed doesn't care what people think.</p><p>He shivers a bit, forcing himself to focus even though the pounding in his head is making it difficult. "I'm sure you know we went on a mission up north?" He asks and Al hums in response. "Well it went bad and uh, well you might wanna come up here."</p><p>Al is quiet. "<em>Is he gonna be alright?</em>" The boy sounds terrified. Of course, he uses 'boy' loosely since Alphonse is almost twenty three now. If he referred to Al as a boy then that'd make it a little creepy for him to be into Ed, who's only a year older. It's just Al is so... soft and innocent compared to Ed's outward hard and angry exterior.</p><p>"He will be". He answers, hesitant to tell Al the full story over the phone. "But he needs surgery, and he'll be out of commission for a long time." He pauses before asking. "I need to call Winry, but I wasn't sure if Ed would prefer to make that call once he's awake again."</p><p>Al seems to sigh in relief. "<em>So he's just resting? He's not unconscious</em>?"</p><p>"Well he <em>was</em> for most of last night, but today he's just been in and out of sleep."</p><p>"<em>General, seriously, what happened</em>?"</p><p>He sighs. He should've known Al would insist on being told horrible news over the phone rather than in person where he can be consoled. "We ran after the leader, got lost in a blizzard and Ed fell through some ice." Al sucks in a harsh breath. "I got him out and kept him warm until back-up could find us, but his stumps are frost bitten. They're uh..." he struggles a bit, finding it hard to choose the right words in his exhausted state. "They have to amputate the rest of his leg today."</p><p>There's stunned silence on the other end for a moment, before a shaky breath is heard. "<em>And the arm</em>?"</p><p>"They're monitoring it, but so far it's in the clear. Though they may want to remove the port, I'm not sure I haven't spoken to the doctor or Ed yet."</p><p>"<em>I'll call Winry, and I'll have her come up. She'll be a day or two behind me though I'm going to jump on the next train</em>."</p><p>"Of course, thank you Alphonse."</p><p>"<em>Anything you need sir. Just, keep taking care of my brother</em>."</p><p>"I will. Travel safe Alphonse, I'll see you tomorrow." He hangs up after that, suddenly completely void of any and all energy.</p><p>"General Mustang?"</p><p>He jumps a bit, startled by the deep voice, and turns around coming face to face with a kind looking nurse.</p><p>"Yes, that's me. Is this about Ed?"</p><p>"Yes it is. I just wanted to tell you he's awake and asking for you."</p><p>He smiles a bit, nodding at her. "Thank you."</p><p>He's tired when he reaches Ed's room. His body is really starting to feel the after effects of all that alchemy and exercise. Not to mention the toll from walking in that bitter cold snow. Of course, it's not nearly as bad as what fullmetal suffered through, but he can't help but be begrudgingly thankful that Hawkeye forced him into a wheelchair; even if it <em>is</em> making his arms hurt.</p><p>He closes the door behind him when he rolls in, wheeling over to the bed and looking up to see Ed shovelling what looks to be mashed potatoes in his face.</p><p>"Good to see you're still a pig." He comments, leaning back in his chair.</p><p>Ed glances up mid bite, quirking an eyebrow. "The fuck you doin' in a chair? Finally realizing your bones are too old to carry your fat ass?"</p><p>"Ouch, I thought you liked my ass?" He teases, relishing in the way Ed's face heats up and he chokes a little on his food.</p><p>"Asshole." He chokes out. "But seriously, what's with the chair I thought you were fine?"</p><p>He rolls his eyes. "I <em>am</em> fine, Hawkeye just refuses to let me stand or walk with a concussion."</p><p>Ed snorts. "Probably best. You'd stand and then immediately fall on your ass."</p><p>"You seem to be rather obsessed with my ass, fullmetal. Is that why you hate the chair? Cos you can't see it?"</p><p>"Shut up! Your ass is flabby and old, I'd rather you stay in that chair and make sure it stays held together."</p><p>He raises his eyebrows. "Wow, what medication are you on? You're absolutely delusional. Either that or you haven't actually seen my ass."</p><p>"I've seen it plenty, bastard! It's hard to ignore it when you insist on walking all pompous-like in front of the team."</p><p>It takes everything in him not to smile. "So you look at my ass a lot?"</p><p>"I- no I don't I jus- shut up! You suck, get out of my room." Ed is absolutely red, and he can't help but laugh loudly at the way he gets so flustered. But he sees that odd look in his eyes again and feels like he should back off.</p><p>"Alright alright fine let's move on. I called Al. He'll be here in a day or two."</p><p>Ed grimaces. "Is he telling Winry? Cos I really don't want to and I don't think I can handle being beaten with a wrench right now. I will willingly say that I am in too much pain."</p><p>Now <em>that</em> makes him concerned. He furrows his brows and rolls his chair over to the side of Ed's bed, quickly looking him over.</p><p>"That's genuinely concerning, you never say you're in pain."</p><p>Ed shrugs. "Normally because it's my own fault so I just agree I'm a dumbass, take the beating, and move on. Or it's someone else's fault I don't want them to feel bad. But this was no ones fault. There was no way to know there was ice there." He shrugs, taking his last bite of food and pushing the table away. "So yeah, I'm in pain, and I will be for the next two years while I go through amputation and Automail surgery once again."</p><p>He grimaces. Ed seems so indifferent to all of this. Of course, he does know what this is going to entail so there's no reason for him to be afraid, but Roy can tell that he's just trying to ignore that he'll be codependent for the foreseeable future.</p><p>And Roy... well he doesn't want that to be a bad thing. He knows it's hypocritical since he'd absolutely lose his shit the second anyone tried to help him but also, he likes being the one to help others. So maybe he can find a way to help Ed. And instead of Ed feeling like a burden, they can both get something out of it.</p><p>He reaches out, laying his hand on top of Ed's. He jolts a bit, staring wide eyed at Roy.</p><p>"What're you doing?"</p><p>He shrugs. "Attempting to continue what was interrupted."</p><p>Ed gulps. "Alright, but you're senile Cos we weren't holding hands."</p><p>He smirks, quirking a brow. "Oh really? Then I guess you'll have to refresh my old memory."</p><p>Ed frowns. "I can't exactly move to your level right now." He sounds embarrassed.</p><p>So, he shrugs, taking his hand away. "No worries." He stands up as slow as he can, ignoring the way Ed is yelling at him for it and how his vision dots with black spots, and grabs the edge of Ed's blanket, lifting it and sliding under them. "Scoot over."</p><p>"Listen old man, I don't know what the weight limit is on this thing." Ed says, even though he's managing to move over anyway- well, as well as he can with only half of his limbs.</p><p>He reaches over and grabs the remote for the bed, pushing the button so the mattress lays as flat as it can. He then lays himself like they were at the cabin: on his side, propped up on his elbow and staring down at Ed. And Ed gulps, glancing at his lips just like before.</p><p>"Is this alright? You're comfy?" He asks, because he genuinely doesn't wanna hurt Ed, even though he knows the doctor has him pumped full of pain killers right now.</p><p>"Just shut up and kiss me."</p><p>Not expecting Ed to be so bold, he practically falls forward when Ed grabs the collar of his hospital gown and yanks him down, smashing their lips together in such an angry and desperate way that it feels perfect for them.</p><p>And because it's them, that's the moment someone knocks on the door.</p><p>He rips away from Ed, damn near falling off the bed if not for Ed reaching out and grabbing his robe to keep him steady.</p><p>The nurse from before walks in with a smile that turns sheepish when she sees them laying together in the bed.</p><p>He can't help it, he feels his face burn and is too embarrassed to look in Ed's direction.</p><p>"I'm so sorry to interrupt, I just need to get Mr. Elric ready to go to the operating room." She sounds genuinely sorry to have interrupted them, so he finds himself laughing a little at how ridiculous they must look.</p><p>"Oh no worries at all, I'll just get out of your hair." He says, waving a hand and slipping out from under the covers. He lowers himself carefully into the wheel chair, his legs feeling like jelly all of a sudden, and turns back to the nurse. "Could I be the first one informed when the surgery is finished?"</p><p>She nods. "Of course, sir. As his commanding officer you're his first contact when the injury is military related."</p><p>He nods, turning back to Ed.</p><p>Ed looks a bit nervous, but he meets Roy's eyes and smirks. "I guess we'll have to make time for this later. <em>Again</em>."</p><p>He laughs. "Ah but by the time you're conscious again, your brother will be here and glued to your side."</p><p>Ed grimaces, lifting the covers to scoot to the edge so the nurse can help him into his wheelchair. "I never thought I'd be disappointed that Al would be visiting."</p><p>He rolls his eyes. "You'll be happy to see him. We'll find time, there's no rush."</p><p>"Says you. You're like a hundred, you could collapse and die at any moment!" He says dramatically, and Roy can see the nurse trying very hard not to laugh as she sits Ed in the chair, rolling him and his IV stand towards the door.</p><p>He reaches out and touches Ed's elbow when he's near enough, smiling softly at him. "You'll be alright." He says in a whisper. "You've done this twice before when you were a child. This shit has nothing on you."</p><p>Ed gulps, smiling sadly. "I know. But, just in case; one for the road?"</p><p>He laughs loudly and nods, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Ed's lips. They pull away a bit and Ed lets out a breathy laugh as a blush fills his face. "Yeah, alright. See you in a few hours then, granddad."</p><p>He smirks. "Hey! That's grand<em>daddy</em> to you!" He yells after him as the nurse wheels him away.</p><p>"Ew! Fuck off nevermind!"</p><p>He laughs, trailing off into a sad sigh when Ed is no longer in sight.</p><p>Realistically, he knows Ed will be absolutely fine and the surgery will go by smoothly. But he can't help but feel a pit in his stomach.</p><p>Or maybe that's the nausea.</p><p>Shit, he better go back to his room and sleep before Hawkeye comes back and shoots him in the arm. Again.</p><p>Not to mention, without Ed around anymore, he can feel his body falling asleep. So, he forces the last bit of his energy to get him all the way back to his room, where Hawkeye is still sitting, but now chatting with Havoc.</p><p>She smiles at him when he rolls in, and thankfully neither of them comment when he's panting and she has to help him stand and get into bed.</p><p>He falls asleep with a smile on his face the second his head hits the pillow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I actually would like to turn this into a multi chapter fic at some point. I have probably another five thousand words already written for it, I'm just not sure if I like it enough to continue. Maybe one day soon since I've been on a writing kick :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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